If Only For a Day
by Pythonmelon
Summary: Vlad is asked to attend a family picnic with Mina and takes the risk...of becoming human for just one day.


Mina had snuck out to Vlad's castle once again. She was up only a few hours past her eight o'clock bedtime but had begun yawning. Her vampire friend smiled. "You really should go to bed, Mina." He didn't want her to leave but also wouldn't deprive her of much needed sleep.

"Aw, why?" She frowned tiredly.

"Because you need your rest," He chuckled and picked her up, preparing to fly Mina home.

"Oh," She pouted. Before he took off, she stopped him. "Wait, my daddy asked me to tell you that you're invited to our family picnic Saturday. I begged him to let you come." She smiled, eyes glinting hopefully.

His dead eyes widened slightly, surprised at the invitation. As far as anyone knew he was her violin teacher, not any close family friend. He also had no desire to ingest ANY more human food after the last incident and had any young female relatives (such as Lucy) to worry about feeding from.

"I don't know if I _can_, Mina." He sighed.

The young human pouted. "I wish you could. It's during the day, though." She knew he couldn't venture into the sun's rays. Being a vampire put a lot of restrictions on their adventures together. "I wish you were alive, so you could come."

"I vish I vas to, Mina." A pang of sadness hit his silent heart. He could feel how important this was to her. She may have made him feel alive, but it held no candle to actually being human again. He knew it hurt them both, but if he hadn't received the bite he would have never met her.

She nodded off after a few moments of silence and he flew her home. The cool night air cleared his head and the vampire licked his fangs. Maybe, just maybe, an idea wormed its way into his head; he _could_ become human, if only for a day.

The Count went to feed. He would visit one of his friends, a witch, and see if it could be done. He would consult Igor on it, and Mina, and hopefully be human by Saturday.

"Master, you can't be serious!" Igor crossed his arms, furious. "It's ridiculous to take such measures for Mina!"

Vlad grumbled. He was fully aware and constantly reminded of his servant's hatred for humans. "Remember, Igor, I vas human once. It will be a treat to be alive again for vone day. It can't be so hard."

"But you died seven hundred years ago!" He stressed. "You will be helpless with the humans! And what of the food you eat? You'll just throw it up."

"So VAT?" The vampire crossed his arms.

"Fine, fine, but you will regret it." He didn't know if he could retain respect for Vlad after this. Really, why would he want to be one of the cattle he so willingly drank the blood of, even for a short time?

"Are you ready?" The green-skinned witch was putting the finishing touches on her spell for Vlad. The night was young and Igor had a large meal waiting for him in the kitchen. He would need plenty of human food and rest for the picnic tomorrow.

He looked excited and nervous. "Please, go over the rules one last time." He wanted to keep in mind what he had to do.

"It will be painful at first when you turn back into a human, and when you return to your vampire form it will be like turning again." She nodded. He groaned at the mere thought. The pain was unimaginable the first time, he could hardly stand the thought of going through it a second time.

He took a deep breath. "That's fine." It was for Mina, so he could do it.

"The spell only lasts for a twenty-four hour period. During that time you MUST drink some blood from a human or you won't become a vampire again." She warned. "If you don't, all your years will catch up to you. In about a half hour you would be only a pile of dust."

Vlad swallowed thickly. He certainly did not want that. "I vill be fine." He nodded gently and sat up straighter. The vampire sat down the pair of glasses he had kept for so long, knowing he would finally need them again.

"Okay, here goes nothing." The warty-faced woman picked up a glass of blood and sprinkled some odd pre-prepared powder into it. The stuff bubbled and gained the consistency and scent of water. "Drink it," She offered him the glass quickly. She specialized in alchemical magic, so there were no incantations for this transformation.

The vampire took it before he could change his mind and gulped the entire glass. Thank goodness it still tasted of blood, though a little metallic. He sat the glass down in time for his hand to begin twitching. "Oh, God," He gasped in pain. The witch put a finger to her lip, watching curiously.

Vlad's breath quickened, now that he realized he had to breathe, and he held his stomach. He felt so hungry, and his brain was suddenly deprived of oxygen. He bit his lip before putting a hand over his mouth, gasping again and feeling his teeth becoming blunt, his fangs shrinking into normal human incisors. With a roar his heart thundered to life, forcing his blood to move through his body for the first time in hundreds of years. Soon the sound faded because his hearing dulled as well. He groaned sorely again.

"Am… I human?" He was still breathing heavily, feeling sick.

"Yes. I'll check on you at this time tomorrow," The witch smiled. She was not prejudiced against humans the way many monsters were and thought that he was doing a nice thing for his 'werewolf' friend.

"Thank you." He managed to stutter before grabbing a trash can and vomiting up a stomach full of blood and the remainder of the potion. She nodded calmly before using magic to pack her things away and leaving.

"Here…um… Master," Igor looked at the young, handsome, red faced man and took him into the kitchen.

Vlad looked at the plates of food- fish, spaghetti, and so on, he smiled a little. "I can't believe I get to eat mortal food and not be sick again." Igor shook his head disapprovingly and looked away as the former vampire began absolutely stuffing his face. He was starved. The foods were delicious, all of flavors he had never sampled before or didn't remember. It was a delicious flood of memories from when he was alive so long ago. There was also a bottle of wine that had been set out for him and he took several long gulps.

After a half-hour of reacquainting himself in a more friendly way with mortal food, Vlad yawned. It was only ten o'clock, but he needed his sleep and would get it. He didn't even want to use his coffin tonight and chose one of the unused beds in the castle. He tucked himself in after using the bathroom (the one unsavory thing so far, and it seemed completely new.) with a glass of water and fell asleep. He felt so privileged to walk with the living, to sleep like the living.

"Good morning master." Igor shook the man awake, his voice a lackluster and disrespectful monotone.

Vlad sat up, stretched, and scratched his head. Overnight the redness had faded from his cheeks, but a lively pink undertone remained. His skin was still pale white from an extreme lack of sun, but he was glad to see in a mirror (a MIRROR actually WORKED now!) that it wasn't blue from a lack of circulation. "Thank you, Igor," He chuckled. He licked his blunt human teeth easily and went to bathe. The little hunchback went off to bed. He would be glad when this all had blown over.

Vlad had woken at roughly nine-thirty, and he had to be at the park for this picnic by twelve, so things worked out fairly well. Even as a vampire he had occasionally brushed his teeth and taken baths, so that wasn't so hard. He was used to dressing himself, too. Well at least it wasn't COMPLETELY different, being human. For the occasion he even parted his short, lovely black hair to the sides instead of in a V, infuriating his servant further. He looked like a different man.

That was right about when he realized that he couldn't fly anymore. Or change shape, he couldn't do that either. Lovely. But there were other ways to travel and he would get used to it. It was only for a day, right? He just hoped he wouldn't grow attached to being alive again. Feeling the quick, flighty pulse of his heart via his neck (where Anne's bite marks remained) he promised himself he wouldn't. His blood still ran thick with venom, even if it had been neutralized for the day.

Packing a tiny cup-sized transfusion pack into his jacket, Vlad ventured to the front door. He patted his stomach full of biscuits and eggs before glancing up at the clear, sunny sky. He had not been into the sunlight in so long. He was naturally wary. The former vampire reached his hand out into the light and felt no burn. There was only soft warmth on the living flesh. He smiled and ran out into the light, jumping off the walk and jogging down the path towards town.

Sometimes, and the dreams had become more frequent with Mina around, he dreamed of a day like this. He dreamed of spending his days in the sunlight with all the other humans. He liked the dream immensely but felt like it would never come true. Now it was happening!

The sun was warm and he knew he'd have sunburn and maybe even a slight tan by the end of the day, but he liked that prospect. He would be pale again soon enough and there was no hurt in overexposing himself. Most anything that went wrong could be easily remedied.

He made his way down the street and smiled, waving to some teenagers as they went into a café for brunch. One girl waved a little and blushed. No one had seen him come from the castle so it was all okay. He continued jogging and after about a half-mile he ran out of breath. Vlad slowed to a walk, feeling his heartbeat calm again. It was two more miles to the park where the picnic was set and it was already eleven- he would be right on time, give or take a few minutes.

The summer heat really began setting in after another few minutes and he realized that a dress shirt and black pants might not have been the best choice. He was used to being in the dark, invulnerable to over or under heating, so this sweaty discomfort was even more so. He looked around and found a clothing store. He had fifty human dollars in his pocket and figured it might be a good choice to get a more suitable outfit. He walked in, unbuttoning his cape, and grabbed a pair of shorts and a polo shirt. He hoped he didn't look too out of place in this outfit.

After checking out, he changed clothes in the bathroom of another building and took the suit to a dry cleaner. The outfit was a pair of knee-length khakis and a grey polo shirt. It was a surprising change of garb that made him feel so uncomfortably…exposed. But soon it felt good to be walking in shorts instead of long dress pants.

Eventually the handsome young man made it to the park. It was twelve thirty and the largest amount of the people was just arriving. He felt so great to be able to look at Lucy and actually think of her as cute instead of delicious. Mina sat waiting for him at a table, a seat reserved with her stuffed frog and a note- 'Reserved for the Count'- written in her sweet scrawling print.

"Hello Mina!" He smiled and took her by surprise. She jumped a little and looked at him in surprise. He looked very different without his blue skin, dead eyes, and pointed ears. She squealed with joy and hugged him. He had pulled it off!

The man stumbled back and laughed. He petted her hair, smiling in delight, and looked at her family. There were many people from out of town that he had never seen, a few he had only heard about, and some that were familiar. He swallowed when he realized that he had even bitten one or two of her cousins.

"Hello, Count." Her father walked up to him and smiled. "We were worried that you might not make it."

Vlad smiled and shook his hand. He realized with slight discomfort that he was very sweaty and beginning to get sunburnt, but it was fine. So were a lot of the other men there. "I vouldn't miss it for the vorld." It was true, even if only he, Igor, Mina, and the witch knew the extent of this.

"That's wonderful." The man smiled at him and motioned to the tables where hamburgers, hot dogs, Lucy's potato salad and other foods were served. Vlad chuckled and smiled, helping himself to some garlic bread without a care and preparing a plate with a hamburger and chips, and several servings of different salads and desserts.

The day went on like this for around five hours. Lucy had even flirted with him a little, even though Bobby was there. Even that had been an entertaining mess. Glancing at his pocket watch, the former vampire smiled. It was five twenty, and he had returned to his human form at seven thirty. He had two hours to drink the blood he had brought and return to the castle. It would take around that long to get home if he started now, considering the walk and the fact that he would be turning into a vampire again.

"Alright Mina," He smiled at his little friend, who was growing tired from the festivities. "I need to leave now. I had a vonderful time." Everyone was clearing out of the park and things had been cleaned up almost an hour ago. He had had a wonderful time- meeting her family and more importantly spending that one day with her in the sunlight instead of under the shadow of night. It was enlightening, a dream come true that he would think about for hundreds of years to come.

"Alright," She smiled, a glimmer in her eye knowing what was at stake. He sat her down off of his lap.

"I vill see you tomorrow night for your 'violin lesson'." He promised and got up, heading towards the gates. Because no one was watching he went to grab the small transfusion pack of blood that was in is vest pocket… But the vest wasn't there.

"Oh God." He looked around, panicked, and remembered that he had left his formal wear at the dry cleaners. "Oh no." He muttered to himself and took off running, muscular legs pumping. He flew down the streets, nearly reaching thirty miles an hour. His eyes were wild with panic. What if someone had found it? What if it had burst? Some group of drunk college kids whistled to him, cheering, as he blew past.

In about thirty minutes he reached the cleaners, out of breath and panting. His sides hurt and Vlad cursed being alive for a moment. He managed to get the door open, exhausted, and trudged to the desk. The urgency had not left his eyes or voice. "Vhere…is…my…vest?" He plucked the number out of his short's pocket and handed it to the man.

"They just came out of the dryer." The young human smiled a little. This boy had to be around sixteen, with a dark ginger mop of hair, freckles, and a far over pronounced Adams apple. He was thin but not attractively so, more gangly, and had a long face. His nametag read 'Matthew'.

"And the pockets?" Vlad demanded, regaining his composure and placing a fist on the counter. Several machines worked in the back, launderers pressing his clothing out fine and hanging it for him.

"We empty them beforehand. Your box is over there," He said almost proudly. He was very happy with business, apparently. Maybe the boy's father owned it and he would inherit it someday? Matthew pointed to a rack of plain plastic boxes that were numbered. Vlad's was thirty-six and he ran desperately over to the shelves. He dug through it quickly. "We don't go through your things; we just put them in the box." The counterman announced again.

Vlad wished that the boy would shut up. His ears rang with flowing blood, his heart pounded. If he didn't find that transfusion pack, drink it, and get home before seven thirty it was all over. For him, for his relationship with Mina, for Igor's job. And there it was! "Oh thank God." He hugged the plastic blood-filled bag. They had found no reason to take the bag or call the police. Probably thought he was a medic or something. He looked back at Matthew and paid the ticket, fifteen dollars plus a generous ten-dollar tip that cleared the rest of his money but for a ten dollar bill. "You did very good. Thank you so much." He was much calmer now.

The boy's face flushed at the sight of his tip. "Th-thank you sir!" He smiled and saluted, whacking himself right between the eyes with the bill in his excitement.

The former vampire nodded and took his clothes, running out into the street. He ran into the alley and popped the cap off of the transfusion pack, ignoring the smell of lukewarm blood and drinking it all. It still had a good, salty taste to it even if he was human. Now he was guaranteed to become a vampire again. Licking the red droplets off of his lips, Vlad tucked the bag into his shorts pocket and ran into the street, hailing a taxi.

One arrived in a few minutes and he jumped into the back. His stomach was heavy with the blood and he had a faint feeling that it had almost spoiled. Thank goodness the dry cleaner's had been cold on the inside. "I need you to take me to the castle across town." He said immediately. The driver, a gruff old fellow with dark chocolate colored skin, nodded and pulled out, determined to get his passenger to the destination in the smallest amount of time as possible.

It was just past six forty when they got to the bottom of the hill. "Thank you," Vlad gave the man the last of his money, fidgeting with apprehension. He still had the trek up the castle hill before he was in the clear. He was tired, and a little sick from the blood, and really wished that he didn't have to walk. What was normally fifteen or twenty minutes had just become thirty of forty.

The man nodded with an unquestioning smile and drove off when he finished writing out Vlad's receipt and handed it to him. The vampire took it, slightly more relaxed now, and tucked it into his pocket. He nodded, waved, and started up the hill. The sun was setting and it set off how red from exhaustion his face had become.

His face and legs were sunburned and it was growing uncomfortable. Chat had been a little hard at the picnic because he knew little about current events or regular home living. Now that the day was over and he had had his fun, there was time to think about it. He had walked in completely blank, raw, new to the world of living after so long. He had learned a lot. Igor had been right, he had been lost with the humans, but it was a homey, accepted lost, not the way he had been when first turned into a vampire.

But he would not accept his servant's victory as a loss. He has greatly enjoyed his time as a human and would always remember it fondly. Walking up to the castle in the dark, he smiled to himself. Count Vlad Hide opened the door, smiled, and greeted his servant. The little man would never know about his close call with the blood bag, so it seemed that everything had gone swimmingly. He smiled before wincing in pain as the blood took effect in his system. The vampire-turned-human was returning to his undead state. The witch arrived to make sure that everything was okay as he laid down in his coffin, ready to sleep through the pain one last time.

**The End**


End file.
